Litchman Terrace plan defeated; affordable-housing struggle continues

Wednesday

Jan 21, 2009 at 12:01 AMJan 21, 2009 at 9:03 PM

Last Wednesday night, the Board of Selectmen unanimously struck down a proposed affordable-housing project on the town-owned Litchman Terrace property, a decision that was greeted with mostly cheers from those present in Abbot Hall.

VIDEO: Take 'Bill's tour' of proposed site

Nikki Gamer / ngamer@cnc.com

Last Wednesday night, the Board of Selectmen unanimously struck down a proposed affordable-housing project on the town-owned Litchman Terrace property, a decision that was greeted with mostly cheers from those present in Abbot Hall.

Dozens of neighbors had come out to oppose the project, many offering impassioned arguments. For them, the meeting, and the ensuing decision was a victory. But for those on the Fair Housing Committee, who spent many months working on the plan, the decision was a setback, and a disappointment.

For all of those involved on both sides of the debate, the Litchman Terrace dilemma highlighted the many challenges involved in bringing any affordable-housing project to fruition in town.

Some on the Fair Housing Committee were disappointed though not necessarily surprised to see “NIMBY-ism” or a “not-in-my-backyard” mentality resurface in the Litchman Terrace debate.

“The affordable-housing challenge is great for Marblehead and most other towns,” reads a note on the Fair Housing Committee’s Web site. “Expanding the supply of affordable housing while balancing the concerns related to transportation, infrastructure, protecting the environment, town services, school enrollments and fiscal capacity is a daunting task. Many residents are resistant to changes that they see as altering the town’s ambience, increasing traffic, or the cost of the town services, including schools.”

Massachusetts is among the states with the biggest housing-affordability problem in the country, with Marblehead lagging some 500 units behind the state mandate of 10-percent of housing stock being “affordable.”

“Most of us see that affordable housing as a social-justice issue,” said Fair Housing Committee Co-Chairman Dirk Isbrandtsen. “I believe that having affordable housing is a really important component to having a healthy community… It gives new people the chance to step up and become a stakeholder in town.”

Neighbors who spoke out against the Litchman Terrace plan stressed they were not against that concept, just the specifics of the current proposal.

Kevin Collins, a neighbor who helped lead the charge against the Litchman Terrace development, said that he and most of his neighbors are “pro-affordable housing” but thought the project was ill conceived.

“Affordable housing and wooded open space aren’t mutually exclusive of each other,” Collins said. “We can keep our open spaces and find opportunities for affordable housing using strategies that would benefit everyone, improving neighborhood and town alike.”

But in a town of only 4.4 square miles, most of it built out, such opportunities would seem to be few and far between.

Litchman Terrace details

Fair Housing Committee Co-Chairmen Dirk Isbrandtsen and Kurt James initially pitched the “Friendly 40B” project to selectmen in December. The proposal was to build an 18-unit housing complex on the 1.1 acres town-owned land on Litchman Terrace, which abuts Taft Street and Turner Road. Of those 18 units, half would have been designated as “affordable,” meaning the opportunity to purchase them would be have been made available via lottery to families under certain income thresholds — for example, less than $66,150 for a family of four.

The project was to be funded largely by the sale of the other nine units at “market rates averaging $320,000,” according to the Fair Housing Committee.

During the December meeting, the selectmen sent the Fair Housing Committee back to do some more research, and told them to talk with those neighbors who abutted the proposed property.

Selectman Judy Jacobi, a critic of 40B, was particularly concerned with the density of the project, given the surrounding neighborhood.

In the intervening weeks, members of the Fair Housing Committee heard specific concerns at a neighborhood meeting, which the committee attempted to address in a follow-up memo to the selectmen. By the time last Wednesday’s selectmen’s meeting rolled around, the abutters had organized their criticisms into a computer slideshow, which Collins presented.

Among the strongest concerns was the density of the project, along with parking, potential water runoff and blasting. The land sits on mostly bluestone ledge, a rock neighbors noted is difficult to blast. The construction, they feared, would be a nightmare, which would damage their own properties.

“The Affordable Housing Committee worked very hard on this project,” said Bill Willis Sr., a retired contractor who abuts the property. “I think it got people thinking, ‘Have we reached a point in Marblehead that this is the best we have for buildable land — a piece of ledge?’”

The potential loss of open space also seem to play prominently in the selectmen’s decision, with all five members saying that it would be a tragedy to develop a wooded area that abutters alternately offered to convert into a sanctuary for birds and those that like to watch them. The board did more than just scuttle the Affordable Housing Committee’s plan; they also announced they would add to this May’s Town Meeting warrant an article, which, if passed, would classify the Litchman Terrace land as protected open space.

Future of affordable housing here

Although the Litchman Terrace project was shot down, Isbrandtsen said that his committee did gain something from the process: guidance from the selectmen.

“The selectmen gave us clear direction that we shouldn’t pursue acquiring any undeveloped land,” he said. “I think we highlighted the dilemma of affordable housing, and the residents and the town selectmen have become more aware and understanding of the challenges involved, and seem willing to explore different options.”

Last spring, the Fair Housing Committee helped acquire, rehabilitate and then sell at an affordable price a West Shore Drive condominium, which is one approach.

Jacobi, who also sits on the town’s Smart Growth Committee, said she favors “40R” projects over “40B” projects, which have proven unpopular both here and across the state.

Chapter 40B, enacted in 1969, is a state statute that enables developers to circumvent local zoning rules and apply for “comprehensive permits” from zoning boards if at least 25 percent of the units in the project have affordability restrictions. Marblehead is home to two such projects, the Marblehead Highlands project in and around Peach Highlands and Intrepid Circle and the Oliver’s Pond project off Humphrey Street.

Chapter 40R, on the other hand, was enacted in 2005, and is seen by many as the more community friendly way of creating affordable housing. The key concept is “smart growth,” which Chapter 40R defines in part as “a principle of land development that emphasizes mixing land uses, increases the availability of affordable housing by creating a range of housing opportunities in neighborhoods [and] takes advantage of compact design.”

Last month, the Smart Growth Committee reported to the selectmen that it had winnowed an initial list of five commercial areas for the new development strategy down to three: Pleasant Street at its intersection with School Street (in and around the soon-to-be-former Marblehead-Swampscott YMCA), Village Plaza and Vinnin Square near the former General Glover House restaurant.

The selectmen are scheduled to hold a public hearing on the “Smart Growth Zoning Application” to the Department of Housing and Community Development at their Jan. 28 meeting. The change would still need two-thirds support at Town Meeting as well.

Jacobi noted that she also supports the rehabilitation of town buildings for affordable housing units. She cited the Sewall House as a particularly successful project, one after which other projects could be modeled.

As for the Fair Housing Committee, back to the drawing board they go.

After the meeting, Isbrandsten remained optimistic about the town’s affordable-housing prospects, but did have some criticisms. He said that many residents are wary of anything labeled “40B,” regardless of the specifics, and that the annually elected selectmen face significant political pressure, which might prevent them for voting for anything that could prove unpopular. He continued that townspeople, including the selectmen, seem to favor affordable housing theoretically, but are not yet prepared to create an environment where it could be developed without controversy.